People ask me a lot of questions, so here are the short answers for all of them. Think of it like an FAQ, Q&A or world travel 101.
Note that as the site grows, a lot of these will have their own pages with deeper dives, so check back soon and follow on social to find out when those pages launch.
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This is everyone’s first question and also the hardest to answer. In a nutshell, it’ll likely cost much, much less than any travel you’ve done before.
In cheap places, you can travel well for less than $30 per day. In average places, you can do it for 50 or 60. And in more expensive ones, less than 100. Contrast that with the US. The supposed average costs per day for a trip to Chicago is $221, but I can tell you from experience it’s well over $300 if you want to eat something other than fast food and sleep in anything nicer than a Motel 6.
Think less about which countries or cities you want to go and think harder about the kinds of things you want to see and do. Do you love white sands and reefs, mountains and canyons, renaissance art or modern architecture? Do you like to eat street food or taste local wines? Maybe you’re a theater junkie and don’t care if it’s in a different language. Or maybe you want to see the different wonders of the world or UNESCO sites.
People get attached to the idea of countries and it distracts them from unexpected places where they might have experiences better suited to their interests. Focus on your interests first.
As long as you can tolerate and afford. I think a year is a tidy amount of time, and it’s one that sounds good and feels profound. If that’s two weeks, so be it. If that’s a month or two, better. Once you reach four or five months, you’re really doing it. Try to stick it out long enough that it starts to feel like a lifestyle. That’s where it really changes you.
Bear in mind that you’ll need at least four or six weeks to acclimate to the routines of living far away and in different places each week.
Give yourself plenty of time up front to go slow if you can and lock in those good travel habits. It’ll me the rest of your travels better.
When you want to visit a particular country where you’re not a citizen, you need a visa issued by their government. It’s usually just a stamp in your passport or a piece of paper that says you’re authorized to enter.
There are different types that allow for different types of activities while you’re visiting. For example, tourism visas, which limit you to sightseeing and the like, or a work visa, which enables you to get a job. There are also student visas, which I find most people are pretty familiar with. All visas have one thing in common: a date by which you need to leave. Do not overstay and violate that date.
That depends on where you want to go. Americans have an easier time getting visas because the United States, has good relationships with most countries. Many of those relationships were severely strained by the Trump administration, but you can still visit well over 100 countries with ease.
This depends on the country.
Some let you enter freely on arrival at an airport, train station or land border crossing. This is called a visa waiver. They’ll simply ask you a few questions at the immigration desk and stamp your passport.
Then there’s “visa on arrival,” which requires you to pay a fee and jump through a few hoops. Those hoops are always clear at the point of entry, but there’s no prior preparation necessary.
Some countries require what’s called “prior authorization,” which means you submit an application online and get your visa electronically or when you arrive (often through specific points of entry). In such situations, be sure to print out or save PDFs of whatever you think you might need, such as confirmation pages.
Lastly, there are visas for which you need to visit a consulate. If you plan to travel to a country that requires such a visa, you should research the process well in advance. Some countries have strict windows for how far in advance you can get a visa.
If, for example, you want to go to China, whose tourist visas expire after three months of issue, you’ll need to confirm you can obtain a visa from a consulate in a non-resident country where you’ll be within three months of arrival, such as, say, Thailand or Oman. Obviously you won’t be a citizen of that other country, so the Chinese government may not permit you to apply there. In such situations, there may be private companies that can help you obtain a visa without having to return to the United States and apply at the consulate in DC.
I should add, this is purely illustrative and China might not have a 3-month window or any window at all. You have to look it up. A great place to start is the US State department’s website.
Never overstay a visa. Just don’t.
Yes, you may be able to exit the country with a small penalty (or a large one in some cases), but many countries will flag you and prohibit you from entry if you try to come back in the future. Other countries may notice as well and deem you too risky to allow in.
Talk to an expert about getting one that fits your back and midsection, then take it home, pack it and walk for a mile. If you hate it, return it.
I’ll have a whole section on this, but here are the criteria to consider:
There are so many things you’ll need, a few you’ll want and a whole lot more you should leave at home. I’ve prepared a basic packing checklist here (download linkto: Master Packing List) for the time being, but when the full site launches, you’ll want to spend some time with the full gear and packing guide.
This is no fashion show, but you should think hard about what you take. Check out my packing guide for answers.
Footwear is one of your top two purchases. Everyone needs a pair of versatile waterproof shoes or boots. I also suggest sandals or something lightweight that you can slide on and off easily.
No need for shower shoes or slippers. This isn’t a college dormitory.
There are two common tools for this: The Lifestraw and the Steripen. The former strains out particulates, including bacteria. The latter kills all living things. Neither removes toxins, but that’s not of much (if any) concern. I carry both products and use them apart or together when the time calls for it.
Remember to buy a water bottle that’s compatible with them.
I’m sure it is! That’s why you don’t do that. Dining out is incredibly overrated, and if you did it all the time, not only would you go broke, you’d miss out on a lot.
You’re going to eat a ton of street food and a lot of meals at your home shares/Airbnbs or hostels. And in the end, you’ll eat much better.
Very safe. Backpackers aren’t considered high value targets for major crimes, but you can still be a target in some places simply because being a Westerner immediately qualifies you as wealthy relative to the local standard. In some places, petty theft, such as pickpocketing or garden variety street mugging, commonly occur, but almost never result in violence. I followed all the standard practices and was never a victim.
Much has been written about this, but a lot of it is quite alarmist and typical American fearmongering. The world is a shockingly safe place. You’re in far greater danger here in the States when you go to a shopping mall at night.
There are different types of kidnapping. The kind you’re probably worried about is some extremist group who stops your bus with Kalashnikovs and takes you for ransom. That almost never happens, and if it does, someone’s working on getting you back safely.
The kidnapping is most likely to occur — but which is still very unlikely — happens when you’re stumbling home drunk and alone or when you get into the wrong taxi. People have had their drinks spiked before, of course, but that’s also exceedingly rare and easy to avoid if you order drinks that come in bottles and don’t leave them unattended.
No never. At first it can be uncomfortable and unsettling to live nomadically with so few material objects, but once you adjust, it’s wonderful and so freeing that returning to normal life with its endless bullshit is a serious kick in the tits.
Bottom line: everyone should go backpacking long enough to experience that feeling of freedom. It changes your life. We’ll talk about this a lot if I ever launch a podcast.
Nearly all hostels have machines for you to do your laundry yourself or they offer a service that will do it for you. You’ll likely find the latter in countries where the cost to pay someone to wash and fold your clothes is extremely low. In the unlikely event you find yourself in a hostel with no facilities or service, they’ll have recommendations for places nearby where you can do your washing.
Most backpackers I know, including myself, hand wash their clothes each day or two and hang them to dry. For this, you can use body soap, but I carry a bar of laundry soap that works beautifully. There’s also no need to pack detergent for machines. Everywhere you go will sell single-use packets cheaply.
A private storage facility, probably. That’s a whole process and I explain it here.
Now that’s a process. Not only is the process of mothballing your car a long and annoying one, you also have to find a place to put it. You might also have to surrender your plates or continue paying car insurance.
My personal perspective is that you should either transfer your car to a trusted relative who will drive it regularly or sell your car outright. If you cash it out, set the money aside and use it to buy a new one when you return.
I would be wrong to tell you what to do. I’m neither a CPA nor particularly good with money and numbers. I will say there’s a nice Federal tax credit if you want to work remotely overseas, and if you temporarily change your State residency to one with no income tax, you’ll save a bundle. Again, I’m no expert, so talk to a good accountant for guidance here. Rest assured though, there’s money to be saved.
That’s a totally subjective, personal topic for another day. I’ll post a link here when we talk about this in the blog or on my podcast that doesn’t exist yet.
You likely will, and that’s totally common. A lot of food-borne illnesses will resolve on their own, but if it’s something more severe, you’ll go to a hospital and either recover there or get sent to a more sophisticated facility.
If you’re spooked about the prospect of foreign hospitals, don’t be. Patient outcomes in the US are far worse than comparable countries. The American medical system all the way from the ER and the doctor’s office to the pharmacy and insurance company is driven by one thing: profit. Elsewhere, it’s driven by health, so odds of good treatment will likely be greater, and you’ll pay so little that you’ll think they’ve made an error.
If you’re going to Tampa for a long weekend, no, you probably don’t need travel insurance. If you’re traveling internationally, yes, you need it.
Some people take short trips (ex. a week in Paris) without travel insurance, and I understand why. I personally don’t do it, but I understand it. We’re not talking about a short getaway though. We’re talking about nomadic travel, and yes, you need travel insurance as a matter of good common sense and also as a requirement for entry to some countries.
Fortunately, the cost of long-term travel insurance is pretty reasonable.
All of your basic vaccinations need to be current (ex. measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis, etc.).
There are others you probably don’t have but will need simply to enter certain countries (ex. yellow fever).
Lastly, there are pricey vaccinations that are specific to certain places, such as Japanese Encephalitis or rabies. We’ll talk about this in depth when the full site launches, but for now it’s sufficient to speak to your doctor, tell them where you’re going and accept their advice.
You shouldn’t worry about them, but you should avoid them. Avoiding fresh fruit with edible skins, uncooked vegetables and unpurified water goes a long, long way. Sleeping under mosquito netting when appropriate and wearing quality repellent is also good practice.
The same way you do at home: ATMs. I don’t advocate pulling money from just any old gray box on the side of a road, but most countries have ATMs (usually in banks) that are perfectly secure.
That said, there are also countries where accessing cash is extremely difficult or altogether impossible (for example, Myanmar, Iran or Cuba, which are all incredible places). For such destinations, you need to show up with cold, hard cash, and sometimes that cash needs to be brand new and unfolded. Before you travel to a place, a quick search should tell you everything you need to know about financial access.
I have a specific number I never travel without, and I typically denominate it in both Euros and US dollars. If you have anything less than the price of a week’s worth of hotels and a last-minute plane ticket to the closest developed country, you’re asking for trouble.
Travelers’ cheques used to be as good as cash and a million times more secure, but now, sadly, they’re difficult to exchange. You’re better off with a really good credit card.
This answer constantly changes, and the Points Guy will always have better answers than I do. Check him out.
Rail passes are almost always trash. They’re overpriced, ludicrously restrictive, sometimes useless and totally unnecessary. You’ll rarely get on the good trains or get the good seats even if you manage to board.
Booking individual tickets might cost a little more, but it also might cost less. God knows you’ll travel better with individual tickets.
I truly revile European rail passes and have written a colorful polemic that will hopefully drive the companies that sell to utter ruin. I had a lot of fun writing it, so check it out when I post it.
If it’s solitude you seek, you’ll find it if you want. Backpacking though is so social that you almost have to actively avoid meeting people. Plan to make an amazing number of incredibly interesting friends from all over the world everywhere you go. And then panic about how you’ll keep in touch with them once you’re back home.
It’s really up to you, but I urge you to ask why you’d even want to. Traveling solo allows you to be who you want to be and behave however you want. If you travel with someone who knows you, you’ll feel subtle pressure to remain the person you were back home.
If you must involve friends, I suggest you travel solo but make plans to meet up regularly. I’m halfway through a blog about this, so keep an eye on Twitter and my Instagram Story to find out when it’s released.
Yea! Definitely. Just not all the time.
It’s important that couples — and travel companions of every arrangement — schedule lots of time apart or resentments will start to sprout up.
A whole section is coming soon about this very topic, and you’ll hear about it on my podcast as well when it’s live. Follow my Instagram Story or Twitter handle to see when this content kicks off.
This used to be so difficult to explain, but now we have endless options. For speaking to friends, you already know a million ways to video and audio chat, including Whatsapp, Zoom, Facetime, Viber and more.
For those times when you need to make a phone call, Skype is surprisingly the most effective. There’s a cost, but the rates are so low that the credits last an eternity.
Those actually don’t exist, but international driver’s permits do. Also, it’s not a bad idea to have one. They cost almost nothing, so you may as well on the off chance you’ll need it.
Yes, for two reasons. First, in any developed country, you’re likely to need one to rent a motorbike or moped from any reputable place. In some developing nations, they won’t even ask, but that’s no reason not to have one. It’s simply a good idea to know how to properly operate two-wheeled motor vehicles, and licensing is the best way to ensure you do.
Secondly, there also might be insurance implications if you injure yourself as an unlicensed vehicle operator. The last thing you want is to get paralyzed in a moped accident and the fine print on your policy says the insurance company can cut you loose.
For one, I would be wary of any diving operation that doesn’t require one, so consider that. When you go out to the middle of the ocean on a boat and dive down for twenty minutes, you want to be sure that equipment was maintained by professionals who follow the rules. You also want to ensure that boat will be there when you resurface.
Fly-by-night operations of any sort are a bad idea, but when we’re talking diving they terrify me. Get the license and rejoice when someone asks you to show it.
Note that you don’t have to get certified at home. It’s often much cheaper to get your license overseas, and as long as they’re accredited by the same organizations, you’re getting precisely the same kind of instruction.
See the question about SCUBA. Same answer.
English is so common now that I feel blissfully relieved and chronically depressed.
Despite this, much of the world doesn’t speak English, so you’ll need to master hand gestures without accidentally flashing one that the locals view as vulgar. There are also ways to order food that don’t require much speaking. More on this later.
For the record, if you have the inclination to learn foreign languages, the ability to speak a little English, French, Spanish and Arabic will open up about 90 percent of the world for you.
Is it enough to say they’re simply better?
No? Fine. The short answer is that hotels are private places: private rooms, bathrooms, tables at the cafe, seating areas in the lobby, etc. Hostels are communal: Shared rooms (though privates are available), bathrooms, lounges, dining, etc.
Hostels are social places full of interesting, adventuresome people from all over the world. Hotels are full vacationers. That should tell you everything, but I’ll do an apples-to-apples later. Suffice to say, I almost never stay in hotels unless I’m attending a wedding or I have a very early flight and am staying near the airport.
If you want to get a taste of hostel life, don’t try to do it in the States. Our hostels are almost all complete dumps and they’re wildly overpriced. If you really need a trial run, the hostels in both Canada and Mexico are much better.
I’m so glad you’re curious. I’m making a demo video that will make you worry where my left hand has been. I’ll post it to YouTube and my socials when it’s ready. You probably don’t want to miss this, so follow me there and you’ll see when I post it.
It’s a little faucet that looks like a toilet that you use to wash your tush. I’ll show you how to use one in a not-NSFW way once I finish the squatting toilet demo.
Absolutely yes.
I’ve met countless amazing women all over the world who fearlessly wander solo. Women and men definitely have different concerns, so some women traveler friends are helping me develop more content for the ladies.
In the meantime, look for women’s nomad groups on Facebook. They’re incredibly rich with information and sisterhood.
You should have a durable power of attorney drawn up that designates someone you trust to operate on your behalf in case you’re incapacitated. A living will with resuscitation orders is common as well. And everyone should already have a will, even if you’re broke.
Talk to a good lawyer — or hell, even a shitty one. This is the easiest stuff anyone in the legal profession can do.
There are so many — poo on the shoe, “oops, I dropped this shoeshine brush,” the jacked up restaurant bill, hold my baby, etc. The list is long and the assholes who commit petty crimes like this are always dreaming up creative new ways to take your money.
I’m assembling a list of the common ones, but it’s important to tune your antenna to unusual situations of any kind. That’s hard to do when you’re in a place where everything feels unusual, but listening to your gut goes a long way. I encourage every traveler to reject offers or trinkets of any kind, even if someone says it’s free. People who offer to show you around the neighborhood, tie a bracelet around your wrist, shine your shoes, charge your phone, etc. are often full of shit.
Also, recognize the American inclination to be overly polite, non-confrontational and accommodating. As a people, we tend to be suckers because we don’t want to offend the locals. Honestly, a firm “Thank you for offering. I’m not interested. Please don’t ask again.” Is harder to muster than you think, but learn to get good at it.
Many countries you would expect to have no postal service at all in fact have excellent, reliable ones. Sometimes shipping takes an eternity, but you won’t be home for a while anyway, so who cares?
I’m preparing a detailed explanation of how to ship souvenirs back home that includes how to manage American customs and import duties. If you follow me on social, you’ll see when that content posts.
Many countries you would expect to have no postal service at all in fact have excellent, reliable ones. Sometimes shipping takes an eternity, but you won’t be home for a while anyway, so who cares?
I’m preparing a detailed explanation of how to ship souvenirs back home that includes how to manage American customs and import duties. If you follow me on social, you’ll see when that content posts.
I’d love to help you. I maintain office hours for just such a purpose — or any other, really. You can find that availability here along with the price schedule.
Yes, I’m very happy to meet you and help however I can — seriously — but I charge for my time. Likewise, I hope that you charge for yours! Your time is literally your life, and that’s valuable.
Coming home.
If you have any questions that I haven’t answers, please share them with me on X and I’ll very happily do my best to answer them straight away.
Ask me in a DM on Instagram or over email.
My privacy policy is simple: I don’t share your information.
Yea, it’s just a name, email and nationality, but I’m sure there are people who would pay for it. My thoughts on that: fuck those people and fuck those fuckers who sell personal information to them. You’ll find none of that monkey business here.
If I get hacked and your info get stolen, I’ll shoot you a note to let you know. I don’t deal in passwords, credit cards or anything like that though, so there’s almost nothing for anyone to take.
To see the full privacy policy — it’s pretty boring and cost me a lot of money — you can follow the link at the bottom of the page or in the confirmation email.
Domestic American air travel is a racket run by three major companies and a few smaller ones who effectively collude on prices to screw passengers and support their bloated executives and corporate structures.
Even regional jets, which are technically independent, are fucking death traps that I literally never, ever fly.
It’s not this way in other countries, because most people are sensible and see transportation as akin to a public utility. It’s therefore common to find flights on foreign carriers for under $100. I frequently see fares less $50.
Booking far in advance is therefore unnecessary, except of course in places where tickets sell out. Avoid the temptation to book months or weeks out if you’re just trying to save money. Not only will doing so lock you into dates you might regret, you may end up paying. Why? Booking sites now sniff for your computer’s location and display higher prices for foreigners.
Rude, right? Blame the mirror. We invented that.
First, some bad news for most Americans: automatic transmissions are as rare overseas as manuals are in the US. Unless you want to seriously overpay, make friends with someone who owns an old Miata and learn.
Second, anyone who wants to rent a car should obtain an international driver’s permit. This is easy — just 30 minutes at AAA.
When it’s time to rent, don’t get tempted by lower prices with small, local companies. Go with a big multi-national.
Understand your insurance situation through-and-through. Know the limits of your credit card’s automatic coverage and have a printout of the policy. If you can get a translated copy, even better. If you’re still in doubt after all that, just pay for their coverage.
Research the scams. Before you drive off the lot, walk around the vehicle and video record it. When you return the car, do the same. Also record yourself locking it and depositing the key in the night box if you return after hours.
If you get a notice from the rental company later saying you owe for damage or not returning the car, you can send them those videos with an E-vite to go get fucked. You might also copy tourist law enforcement, so they get fined to oblivion.
It’s tricky, but you need to basically study each country’s road laws and signs like you’re getting your student driver’s permit again. Most places have tricky rules, and they love to fine gringoes like us for violating them.
In Cyprus, for example, you can be fined for eating or drinking anything behind the wheel, even a Snickers. In Denmark, you’re legally required to look under your car before you get inside to ensure no one is underneath. In Spain, drivers with poor vision have to carry a spare set of glasses. Dirty cars are illegal in Russia, as is splashing pedestrians on a rainy day in Japan.
In some places, driving is really difficult. I pity any fool who tries to drive in Cairo. You can also very swiftly kill yourself on a German highway if you’re untrained. Driving at 120 MPH is far more complex than simply pressing the accelerator further.
Fare classes are highly inconsistent.
First class in one country is generally different to first class in any other. The same is true of second, third and so on. They vary wildly by country and system.
If it’s fiscally reasonable, I choose first for early mornings and overnights. They really are better, even just for security of your belongings.
The one time I settled for a second-class overnight, I had to physically fight a mouth-breathing Russian girl who was sweating vodka and wouldn’t stop burying her face into my lap to huff my underpants like Whip-Its. I wish I was making this up, but it’s true. I arrived sleepless, angry and ugly. It ruined my first day in Lisbon and I only had five. First class would have been worth the cost. Second class is my usual go-to. For shorter trips or anything after 9 a.m. I go second.
If I want an adventure, I go even lower. Some agents won’t sell those tickets to tourists though unless you insist.
Nomads and backpackers who don’t do the travel hacking thing usually buy cheap flights. Be careful of taking that too far.
For starters, you need to observe weight limits on baggage. In the US, no one gives a shit, but elsewhere they care. The care deeply. Never buy a ticket that forces you to pay weight overages.
Seats are also important, but not for comfort. I never take bulkhead or exit-row seats unless I pay for early boarding. Both offer less (or zero) under-seat storage, so being in a later boarding group puts you at risk of having nowhere to put your carry on — or as you’ll hear them called “cabin bags.”
I’ve even been on a flight where the attendant nearly made me check my personal item. I shut that down by threatening to create a scene and de-board, but I could have avoided it by paying $8 for priority boarding.
Countless people have asked if I used an around-the-world plane ticket for my first trip.
My simple response: Don’t ask dumb fucking questions. Also, no, I didn’t.
ATW tickets are nearly useless. They typically require you to book your stops in advance, so there’s too little flexibility. The fine print is also brutal and changes constantly.
Last time I researched them, the price was based on allotments of miles. The number of stops also changed the equation. All of them required you to choose a direction (east-to-west, for example) and none permitted travel in the reverse direction even slightly. Some airlines even insisted all departures had to occur from the same point as arrival, meaning if you traveled by land elsewhere, the airline penalized your mileage allotment.
I said airline there, but ATW tickets come come from a single carrier. Instead, you buy into an alliance, of which I believe there are still only three. Quite the lack of competition there.
ATW fares do lend themselves marvelously to itineraries where you go to a different city each month and make it the base from which you explore the region. This is something we’ll talk about later when we discuss hub-and-spoke travel.
If you have status with a particular airline, you may want to consider their ATW option — emphasis on ‘may’ — but be warned that flying everywhere robs you of some great experiences.
Domestic American air travel is a racket run by three major companies and a few smaller ones who effectively collude on prices to screw passengers and support their bloated executives and corporate structures.
Even regional jets, which are technically independent, are fucking death traps that I literally never, ever fly.
It’s not this way in other countries, because most people are sensible and see transportation as akin to a public utility. It’s therefore common to find flights on foreign carriers for under $100. I frequently see fares less $50.
Booking far in advance is therefore unnecessary, except of course in places where tickets sell out. Avoid the temptation to book months or weeks out if you’re just trying to save money. Not only will doing so lock you into dates you might regret, you may end up paying. Why? Booking sites now sniff for your computer’s location and display higher prices for foreigners.
Rude, right? Blame the mirror. We invented that.
The beauty of hub cities is the slow pace. How slow you take it will vary according to the number of side trips as well as your pace. If you commit to a month though, this introduces the possibility of renting an apartment. Even if you don’t plan to stay the full 30 days, apartment rental is generally very cheap. It can also make cooking easier, which also saves cash.
Cooking for yourself doesn’t have to mean eggs for breakfast and chicken dinners. You can dial up the adventure full throttle if you sign up for a greenmarket food tour and a cooking class right after you arrive. Not only will you know what to do with the local ingredients, you’ll eat better. Plus if you know what you’re doing, the vendors may screw you less, which will offset the price of the guide.
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